White Sweet Clover
Melilotus albus
Also known as White melilot
About White Sweet Clover
Melilotus albus, known as honey clover, white melilot (UK), Bokhara clover (Australia), white sweetclover (US), and sweet clover, is a nitrogen-fixing legume in the family Fabaceae. Melilotus albus is considered a valuable honey plant and source of nectar and is often grown for forage. Its characteristic sweet odor, intensified by drying, is derived from coumarin. Melilotus albus is of Eurasian origin but can now be found throughout the subtropical to temperate zones, especially in North America, and is common in sand dune, prairie, bunchgrass, meadow, and riparian habitats. This species is listed as an "exotic pest" in Tennessee, "ecologically invasive" in Wisconsin, and a "weed" in Kentucky and Quebec.
Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Melilotus albus
- Genus
- Melilotus
- Family
- FABACEAE
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Habitat
- Weed of cultivated fields
- Distribution
- Tropical Asia, Africa, Europe, Caribbean islands, Pacific Islands, Introduced in Northern Central America
- Flowering & fruiting
- January-April
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Hindi
- Khandai, सफ़ेद बन मेथी Safed Ban-methi
- Marathi
- पांढरी रानमेथी Ran Methi
Fabaceae
Legume/Bean family
White Sweet Clover belongs to the Fabaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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